Horseback riding is becoming increasingly popular in the United States. Riding clubs and horse shows for competitive riding of a variety of different types may be found in all parts of the country. Part of the popularity of horseback riding is due to the fact that it can be enjoyed by persons of various ages and having a relatively wide range of physical abilities. Horseback riding also is enjoyed by both men and women and constitutes a wholesome family activity involving both parents and children.
Children may be taught to ride horses at very young ages and readily acquire the skills necessary for horseback riding. For small children (for example, from ages 2 through 7) a serious limitation to the development of horseback riding skills is the unavailability of small-size saddles and stirrups for use by such children. So-called "youth" saddles do exist. These are simply scaled-down versions of full size saddles but, as a child grows, the child quickly outgrows youth saddles; so that they continually must be replaced and repurchased. This is expensive, and such saddles for very young riders of small stature (for example, from 2 to 4 years old) are not readily available.
Various approaches have been taken to provide a means by which a young rider can enjoy the sport of horseback riding without requiring the construction of scaled-down versions of conventional adult-sized saddles for use by the child. One approach is illustrated in the patent to Schindler, U.S. Pat. No. 3,112,592. This patent discloses the addition of a complete "piggyback saddle" which is attached over the standard adult saddle so that a child may ride the horse. This piggyback saddle has straps on its front and rear for attachment to the pommel and cantle of the adult saddle. Stirrups are attached to the piggyback saddle by means of small fenders which overlie the fenders of the adult saddle. In this approach, the adult saddle is the saddle which is attached to the horse by means of the conventional girth strap. This device, however, is relatively expensive since the piggyback saddle involves a number of conventional saddle construction features. In addition, the problems of a child outgrowing a saddle of a particular size are present in Schindler since it still is a saddle which, in any given size, may be quickly outgrown by the rider. The primary difference between the Schindler piggyback saddle and standard youth saddles (which are made to be placed directly on the horse) is that instead of being attached to the horse, the Schindler saddle is made to piggyback on a regular saddle.
A different approach to providing a way for small children to ride a horse is disclosed in the Christensen Patent, U.S. Pat. No. 4,164,834. This patent is directed to an auxiliary stirrup attachment comprising a strap which stretches over the top of the seat of the conventional adult saddle. Stirrups are attached to each end of this strap and the strap itself is attached at its center through a further strap (or pair of straps) to the pommel of the saddle. The intent of Christensen is for an adult rider to be seated in normal position on the adult saddle which is attached to the horse. A child then is seated in front of the adult, and the auxiliary stirrups are available for the feet of the child who is riding in tandum with the adult behind him. There is nothing to prevent the stirrups of the auxiliary stirrup strap from sliding forward or from shifting substantially side-to-side across the seat of the saddle on which this auxiliary stirrup attachment is placed. The device is not intended for use by a child riding alone without an adult in tandum and does not provide a secure set of stirrups for use by the child.
Other patents have attempted to solve the problem by mounting a complete scaled-down miniature saddle on top of the pommel of a conventional adult saddle. Patents directed to this type of "piggy-back" saddle are Phipps, U.S. Pat. No. 3,916,604; Pentz, U.S. Pat. No. 3,266,218; and Gauthier, U.S. Pat. No. 3,234,710. All of these patents disclose little miniature saddles which are mounted on top of the pommel of a conventional adult western saddle. These miniature saddles are made to hold a very young rider in front of an adult rider who is also riding the horse at the same time. The child and adult ride in tandum, much as with the arrangement of the Christensen patent. The positioning of the miniature saddle, however, is unnatural and the problems of securely fastening the miniature saddle on the relatively small surface of the pommel make it difficult to have a stable mounting for the miniature saddle. The miniature pommel saddles of these patents are not intended for use by child riders who are riding the horse alone. The child rider must be accompanied on the horse by an adult.
Another auxiliary saddle arrangement is disclosed in the patent to Robinson, U.S. Pat. No. 4,362,003. This patent is directed to a small auxiliary child's saddle which is mounted on the horse directly behind the conventional adult saddle. This small saddle is attached to the adult saddle to hold it in place directly behind the cantle of the adult saddle. Again, the intention of the saddle disclosed in Robinson is to provide a place for a small child to ride in tandum with an adult who is seated on a conventional saddle.
It is desirable to provide a means for small children to ride a horse without being accompanied by an adult and without requiring a miniature scaled-down saddle (which will have limited utility as the child grows) for accomplishing the purpose. It is desirable to provide an inexpensive, auxiliary stirrups, capable of adjustment as the child grows, which is easy to use and inexpensive to manufacture.